PDEA bares new dangerous drugs

Seven additional dangerous substances were added to the list of illegal drugs based on the recommendations of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said Friday.

PDEA Director General Isidro Lapeña identified these drugs as Acetylfentanyl, a powerful painkiller five times more potent than heroin and disguised as oxycodene; MT-45, a piperazine derivative with potent analgesic activity comparable to morphine; para-methoxymethylamphetamine (PMMA), a stimulant and psychedelic recreational drug which may be used as substitute to ecstasy; Alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (a-PVP), a psychomotor stimulant that may cause cardiotoxicity, violent and psychotic behavior; para-methylaminorex (4,4’-DMAR), a synthetic stimulant designer drug related to 4-methylaminorex and pemoline and potentially lethal; methoxetamine (MXE), which contains potent hallucinogenic properties and phenazepam, a euphoric, anti-convulsant, muscle relaxant and hypnotic drug.

“Based on the foregoing recommendations, PDEA as the lead anti-drug agency in partnership with the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Customs (BOC) and other instrumentalities in the field of drug law enforcement, will include these substances in the regulatory monitoring of license registration, and import/export permit authorization and will arrest those possessing these new dangerous drugs,” Lapeña said.